US/Mexican border partnership for disaster preparedness training | 04.30.2008 | 08:40:10 | Views: 6582 | ID: April 30 '08: Members of US and Mexican federal, state and local emergency response agencies and government officials have announced a partnership targeting cross-border disaster preparedness training and response. The disaster training is conducted through the US-Mexiao Border 2012 Program which has joined multiple US and Mexican federal agencies together. The disaster training exercises were staged in Yuma, Arizona "highlighting how San Luis Rio Colorado, San Luis, Yuma, Imperial County and Mexicali operate during a disaster," the press release read. Daniel A. Meer, the Chief of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Branch in EPA's Pacific Southwest office said, "These emergency response exercises are a great opportunity to test our joint systems and to practice with our partners on both sides of the border, in advance of an incident." In December 2007, the border program was announced by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Agency officials then said locally-driven Task Forces would address "specific regional and community identified concerns, implement projects, and make recommendations to the Border 2012 entities." During the disaster preparedness exercises, which were held on the 29 and 30 of April focused on "cross border communications, linking emergency operation centers and medical response." The partnership combines more than 10 states in both countries along the 2000-mile border including 26 native nations in the US and seven native nations in Mexico. National Blueprint Tags: Legal & Intergovernmental, Public Health & Medical.
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